Reviewer:
kcbarton
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November 6, 2019
Subject:
Reflection of 1940s curricular and societal norms
This film includes some interesting content related to the history of curriculum in the United States, and it reflects some of the dominant curricular trends of the 1940s. In particular, there is an emphasis on students' social development and "life adjustment" (although that phrase isn't used yet). At the same time, it is clear that schools remained organized around subject areas rather than core, fused/fusion, or life skills curricula. There are also a couple of glimpses of students using artifacts to learn about other cultures, a legacy of the "cultural gifts" movement. And don't miss the interesting (and depressing) gendered element to one student teacher's story, as she's encouraged by her professors to become less academic and more social--which means taking her hair down and dancing with multiple boys.